We have still another sad edition of the NNHS Newsletter today.
Ralph Whitsett,
widower of
Jo Hicks Whitsett (June '42), passed away
in Hampton on Wednesday, March 06, 2013, at the age of 90.

Fromthe Daily Press - 03/09/13:

Ralph C. Whitsett, Jr.

A true Marine to
the end, Ralph Campbell Whitsett, Jr., age 90, was called to rest on Wednesday,
March 6, 2013. He was born in Salem, VA on September 13, 1922, and was the only
son of the late Ralph C. and Ruth C. Whitsett.

Ralph was truly proud to have served his country in the United States Marine
Corps during WWII. He participated in the capture and defense of Guadalcanal,
Tulagi, Cape Gloucester NB, and Peleliu Island (see his story online at Ralph
Whitsett/Pacific).

Ralph worked many years at Newport News Shipyard and retired from Advex Corp. in
1985. He was a faithful member of Northampton Presbyterian Church for 50 years.

Ralph was also
preceded in death by his wife of 38 years, Josephine H. Whitsett. He is survived
by daughters, Kathleen Ward and husband, Percy of Poquoson, and Carole Donovan
of Hampton; son, Charles S. Wilson and wife, Belinda of Hampton; three
grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and lifetime friend, Frances Matherly of
Christiansburg, VA.

Ralph Whitsett

The family will
receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at Parklawn-Wood
Funeral Home. A celebration of Ralph's life will be held on Sunday, March 10, at
3:00 pm, at Parklawn Memorial Park Mausoleum. Interment will follow at Parklawn
Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Northampton
Presbyterian Church. View and post condolences
on our online guestbook at
dailypress.com/guestbooks.

Kathy,
Your dad had such an impressive life. He was courageous and kind. I
have wonderful memories of summer visits to your home. I remember
your dad taking us to the ocean where he taught me how to catch
crabs! This is still one of my fondest childhood memories.
I wish I could be there on Saturday but I will be thinking of you
and your family.
All My Best,
Ginny

~ Ginny Layne, Potsdam, New York

Friday, March
08, 2013

Kathy,

We remember your dad as a
sweet, loving uncle, brother
of Ruth May, and we are
grateful to have visited
with him last year.

Love to you, Joan and Chris
Layne

~ Joan and
Chris Layne

Friday, March 08, 2013

Kathy and
Percy...my
thoughts and
prayers are with
you all...God
surely blessed
him with a long
life, and I am
sure he loved
you guys...Wish
we could be
there, but will
keep you in our
hearts. Wayne
and Maxine
Elder, Semper Fi

~ Wayne and
Maxine Elder

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Dear Kathy and Percy,,, I was so sorry to hear of your Dad's passing.. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you carry on but I know your faith will get you through the sadness. If I were there in Virginia, I would be there for you!!! In Christ's love, Teresa Crandol Livengood

~ Teresa Crandol Livengood

Saturday, March 09, 2013

My Uncle Ralph; One fine day I dropped by to visit Ralph. Ralph was glad to see me and welcomed me with a strong hand shake and a big smile. He talked stoically about his life, his recent decline in health, his new prescriptions and various scheduled medical tests as though he was just trying to make his way through the complex world of modern medicine, weighing his own thoughts, never once complaining. We talked and laughed about how my mother, Ralph's sister, Ruth May, called him "Waffay" because Ruth had a difficult time pronouncing the letter "r" and Ralph became "Waffay". When the War started Ralph never gave it a second thought about what he needed to do; join the Marines. Ralph talked openly and in some detail about his combat experiences, his return to civilian life and his loving family. I left in a similar manner to how I had arrived, a strong hand shake and a big smile, and my drive home was different, better. Thank you Ralph; Ted Layne will miss you very much.

~ Ted Layne

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Kathy and Percy--and Family--"Good and Faithful servant"--We will all lift you up in prayer--I have such sweet memories-- Kathy; of us all camping, swimming at the pool, my many sleep-overs at "Aunt Jo's and Uncle Ralph's" house--"Uncle Ralph" teaching us new swimming strokes at the pool--just too many memories to count--I love you all--and I will surely miss Uncle Ralph--and Mom will miss his faithful visits to her as they would always reminisce. In Christ's Love --Susan and Aunt Kathryn

~ Susan Miller, Hampton, Virginia

Sunday, March 10, 2013

H

~

Our deepest sympathies are
extended to the Whitsett family and their friends at this difficult
time.

As HBO revisits WWII in the Pacific, a Guadalcanal vet recalls
the real war of attrition

March 29, 2010|By
By Hugh Lessig|247-7821

HAMPTON  The bodies of dead Japanese
soldiers cover the beach, stretching nearly as far as the eye can see.

The scene is from a recent episode of the
HBO series "The Pacific." A follow-up to "Band of Brothers," which told
stories of World War II in Europe, "The Pacific" focuses on the war
against Japan. Recent episodes have highlighted the Battle of
Guadalcanal.

Many people have watched it. Ralph Whitsett
can still smell it.

The 87-year-old Hampton resident fought on Guadalcanal with the 1st
Marine Division as part of a mortar crew. His memories, still sharp
after more than 65 years, paint a vivid picture of that pivotal battle.

The Marines landed on Guadalcanal in 1942 and initially faced light
resistance. But the Japanese mounted a furious bid to retake the island,
which is strategically located along the approaches to Australia.

As the Japanese stormed forward and the Marines held fast and waited for
relief, it became a battle of attrition.

"We had the utmost faith in America, that
they would come in there," Whitsett said. "I've read we were there six
months. It seemed like an eternity."

Ralph Whitsett of Hampton is
a Marine veteran
who fought at Guadalcanal.

Image by
Joe Fudge, Daily Press

Left on their own and running out of food, Whitsett and his comrades
lived for a time on rice and powdered milk that the Japanese had
abandoned. Black bugs had infested the rice, but the Marines
improvised by combining ingredients.

"The black bugs would float on top of the milk," he said. "We'd take
our spoon and skim the black bugs off and throw them on the ground
and eat the rice."

That worked to a point.

"A few days later, we found out there were maggots in the rice," he
said, smiling. "At least we got our protein."

To cook meals, he packed sand in an empty tin can and drenched it
with gasoline. The makeshift stove would burn for at least 15
minutes.

Unlike their comrades now fighting in Afghanistan, these Marines
didn't have unmanned drones or U-2 spy planes to scope out the
enemy. They strung wire from palm tree to palm tree for
communications hookups.

One night, Whitsett was on guard duty when he heard a man whistling.
It was an American tune  the title escapes him  but the song saved
the man's life. He had been checking the lines and Whitsett held his
fire. "If he had snuck along the telephone lines, we would have shot
him," he said. "You don't ask questions on a dark night."

Prior to landing, they climbed down rope nets into boats, being
careful to unstrap their helmet chin straps and pack straps in case
they fell in the water.

The HBO series missed that detail.

"I look at it very critically," Whitsett said.

But the scene of the dead Japanese on the beach  that hit home.
Whitsett recalled sleeping close enough to the dead bodies to smell
the rotting flesh.

Today, he can walk down his neighborhood and know right away if an
animal has died nearby. It is a smell that people never forget.

"I was there," he said, recalling that beach scene. "I saw the same
thing. They just came madly rushing at us. We killed them all, I
guess."

The Marines got by with World War I-era bolt-action rifles and ate
rations that had been on the shelf for years.

Meanwhile, Whitsett and his mortar crew lobbed 81-millimeter shells
over the night-time battles to illuminate Japanese positions.

For a 20-year-old kid from Roanoke with no combat experience,
Guadalcanal provided a lifetime of memories.

His adventures didn't end there. Whitsett later fought in the Battle
of Peleliu, where he was wounded during the landing, receiving a
Purple Heart. In between, he had some downtime in Australia and paid
attention to a pretty girl named Shirley.

They might have gotten married, he said, but Whitsett had a
practical streak.

Each Marine had a $1,000 life insurance policy and Whitsett knew he
would return to battle.

"If I married her, I'd probably live with her a week or two at the
most," he said. "If I got killed, she would get the thousand
dollars, which was a lot of money back then. And my mother who
raised me wouldn't get anything. I didn't marry her on that
account."

Revisiting these old memories has its advantages. During an
interview, Whitsett learned something by recounting one of his old
questions  why the pubs in Australia always closed early.

"We'd go to the pubs and have our boilermaker  a shot of whiskey
and a glass of beer  and we throw that down and go on leave," he
said. "It just dawned on me right now, they probably closed early to
keep us out! That's exactly the reason. I never thought of that."

More information online:
To watch scenes from "The Pacific," including the one referred to by
Ralph Whitsett, go to
http://www.hbo.com, click on "The Pacific."

To see rare color footage from Guadalcanal, go to
YouTube.com and search for
"Guadalcanal: Marine's Home Movie."

For more information on Guadalcanal and other Pacific battles, go
to the Navy's history Web site,
http://www.history.navy.mil,
and click on "WWII Pacific."

Y'all take good care of each
other! TYPHOONS FOREVER! We'll
Always Have